2 thoughts on “Cost to attend NYC climate march: $$. Landing an anti-capitalism message in a capitalist magazine: priceless.”

1. I don’t understand your position. How does Capitalism in and of itself lead to Climate Change? The heart of Capitalism as I understand it is comprised of hope, liberty, free market, the pursuit of happiness, and entrepreneurism.

   I myself have a very small business that donates profits to nonprofits striving to reduce chemical pesticide exposure. We are a business designed to contribute to everyone’s well being. Many entrepreneurs are doing the same through their social enterprise initiatives.

   Please inform me, how is capitalism, all capitalism as you say is part of the problem? I can show quite clearly how we are indeed part of the solution to help all–people, nature, and planet.

   How does ending capitalism achieve this better? Please tell me, how exactly all capitalism is responsible for climate change? In particular shouldn’t all of us who care, despite what we may labels ourselves as, be working together to solve these problems. There are certain industries and corporations that could very easily be singled out as being far more involved with ‘causing’ climate change. Perhaps we should all be working together to get this sector of industry in compliance with climate change initiatives. That in my opinion would be far more effective and telling in our battle to protect people’s health and save the planet.

   The Energy and chemical sectors are contributing the most pollution and toxins to our world. Wouldn’t targeting those who do harm, not capitalism in general result in greater benefits? All those little shops in your home town, and all the small business owners and entrepreneurs you know are “capitalists.” In moving forward, there should be a clarification. Have you ever considered that some of the capitalists you’re fighting are actually true ecologists trying to make money to help make a difference? If capitalism is gone, what remains? Who has control? Has our government gained your confidence? The FDA is controlled by Monsanto, the most deceitful capitalist corporation that has ever existed in America. Their darkness though doesn’t mean that every corporation is up to no good. Far be it. By all means lets get rid of the dark corporations in America, but lets not throw out the baby with the bath water.

   (Please add to these, your comments are appreciated)
   The Chemical Cartel (aka the GMO Cartel, the Pharmaceutical Cartel)
   Bayer
   Monsanto
   Dow
   Dupont
   Syngenta
   BASF

   The Energy Cartel
   Exxon
   BP
   Halliburton

   Features
   Capitalism often allows individuals a wide range for making decisions regarding their personal well-being. Nations usually set a rule of law to protect individual rights and freedoms regarding the use of economic resources. Governments may also spend copious amounts of time ensuring all individuals have access to the nation’s economic resources. Local, state and federal courts are usually the best means for protecting an individual’s self interest in the business environment.

   Benefits
   Capitalism often includes significant amounts of competition to improve the quality and quantity of consumer goods and services. Business owners must find ways to differentiate themselves from other companies to gain significant market share levels. Competition is a natural result of a capitalistic society. Larger companies often dominate capitalistic economic markets. However, smaller companies may be able to slowly eat away at these organizations stranglehold by developing new goods or services to meet consumer demand.

   Misconceptions
   Capitalistic or free market economies rely heavily on minimal government involvement in the economy. Companies in a capitalistic environment often adjust their business practices according to government regulations or taxes. These changes can be positive or negative in the overall economic environment. Business owners often make decisions based on government’s involvement in the economy. Consumers may perceive this to be businesses changing practices for their own advantage, rather than recognizing a change in government policy.http://smallbusiness.chron.com/capitalism-mean-business-3895.html

   In gratitude,

   Joanna

2. Joanna, you ask a direct question here that should be answered as quickly and directly as possible….

   ‘I don’t understand your position. How does Capitalism in and of itself lead to Climate Change? The heart of Capitalism as I understand it is comprised of hope, liberty, free market, the pursuit of happiness, and entrepreneurism.’

   Unfortunately, your rosy picture of capitalism has little to do with reality for most people and society as a whole, Joanna, and a quick examination of how capitalists make their profits shows us just exactly why this is the case. So let’s look at how capitalists make their wealth?… and the picture is not very pretty at all.

   To begin with, there are only but 2 ways that value is created for society. The first way is through Nature itself and the second is by way of Human Labor acting on what Nature gives us to start with.

   Clean water, clean air, wildlife, fertile soil, sunlight, metals and oil and salts to be able to be gathered up, are all examples of Nature’s production of value that goes to allowing human life to flourish on the Planet.

   Human Labor itself then can produce extra wealth by acting on Nature in a positive manner as opposed to trashing Nature. For example, a deer running free in Nature has value in and of itself, but that value to humans is enhanced if and when it is hunted and turned into a meal. That is if all deer are not slaughtered off….

   The same is true of berries growing wild that look quite pretty when left all alone, but can grow to be in much greater value when picked to eat by humans. Both these examples require human labor to produce greater value to humans than Nature left by itself can do for the keeping us alive. Effort must be exerted for us to get berries and meat to the dining table.

   So let’s now cut to how capitalists can make their profits off Nature and us. There are only 2 ways it can be done. One is to appropriate part of the values that workers produce and to keep it for themselves as opposed to allowing it to go ALL to the workforce. Capitalists try to maximize this aspect of how they collect profits, by simply paying workers the least amount that is generally possible to get away with. Enough said for now about this. It can be a quite detailed and long discussion about the nature of ‘management’ and how much should be paid to it?

   The second way capitalists get profit though, is by simply looting Nature…. by using unclean production as opposed to production that increases what Nature has alone given us. It’s a constant grab and run operation AGAINST Nature itself that makes huge huge profits for capitalists. It is a form of theft of Nature from the rest of society, to give money to the capitalists that they in no way deserve. Destruction should never be seen as production, in fact. This destruction of Nature is completely intrinsic to how capitalism always operates, same as taking away some of the workers’ produced labor value is as well. Both produce opposition to capitalist domination over us all.

   Let’s stop here, and I hope that I have started off some discussion about how capitalism actually functions. Capitalism is CONCRETELY much more than just an abstract notion of ‘hope’ and ‘liberty’. It is much more about exploitation of one’s fellow neighbors, and it is about allowing thieves to steal from what Nature has given us all.

   Best wishes to you, Joanna.